Apparatus for separating or winnowing tobacco and other like fibrous material



Nov. 28, 1961 H. HARTE ET AL 3,010,576 APPARATUS FOR SEFARATING OR WINNOWING TOBACCO AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS MATERIAL Filed Dec. 12, 1958 United States Patent Ofitice 3,019,576 Patented Nov. 28, 1961 3,010,576 APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING R WINNOWING EEXIZACCO AND OTHER LIKE FIBROUS MATE- Heinz Harte, Hamburg-Bergedorf, and Hans Koch, Hamburg-Rahlstedt, Germany, assignors to Hauni-Werke Korber & Co., K.G., Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Filed Dec. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 7 80,146 Claims priority, application Germany Dec. 24, 1957 12 Claims. (Cl. 209-35) The invention relates to apparatus-for separating or winnowing tobacco and other fibrous materials and is based on the use of several separator boxes having collecting openings between them and connected together to an extractor device.

The invention has for its primary object to provide improvements in such separator devices and is based on the fact that the connecting openings are arranged successively in obliquely upwardly directed Separating chambers which permit the heavier components of the material under treatment to fall through from a preceding separating chamber into the respective following separating chamber, until the sorted-out material remaining after traversing all the separating chambers can be extracted through the exit openings in the final separating chamber. Thereby the result is obtained that the separated material falling downwardly through the chamber which is in each case the preceding chamber is fed to the respective following separating chamber at the most favourable point corresponding to the weight of the material. The material does not, therefore, have to traverse or burden that part of the separating chamber through which it would merely have to travel during separation with only one separating chamber or only a single separating effect.

The airspeeds can be adjusted independently in the two separating chambers. If the separating chambers are associated with a circulatory air system the material is delivered to the pressure feed pipe of the first separating chamber.

If the separating chambers are connected to suction pipes the delivery end of the first separating chamber is extended by means of a suction pipe-way to which the material is delivered. Moreover, with circulatory systems a heating register may be associated with the fan which heats up the air for maintaining the delivery temperature of the material.

For adjusting the total amount of air an adjusting flap valve or equivalent control means is provided in front of the fan and for adjusting the proportion of air fed to each separating chamber a distributor valve is provided beyond the fan.

In the case of a separator device with two separating chambers only a single pivotal fi-ap valve or the like need be provided between the pipeways feeding the two separating chambers. Since on displacing this valve the flow conditions in the two separating chambers are varied, a compensating pipe or duct is provided parallel to one of the two separating chambers for subsequently correcting the flow speed thereof, the lower end of said pipe being connected through a balancing valve to the associated pressure pipeway while its upper end is connected to the upper end of the separating chamber through suitable outlet openings.

It has been found to be advantageous to modify the condition of the air fed to a circulatory air plant, both in relation to its temperature and also its moisture content, according to local requirements. In this way not only can the moisture losses of the air be compensated for but it is also possible to adjust the moisture value to the value which is most favourable to the tobacco being treated.

For these reasons there is provided according to the invention both a heating register for heating the circulatory air and also a moistening device for moistening such air.

One constructional example of the device according to the invention is shown diagrammatically on the accompanying drawing as applied to separator or winnowing equipment utilising a re-circulating air system and it is believed that this explanation will sufllce to explain those forms of the invention not involving re-circulation of the air.

On the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a separating device according to the present invention, partially in section, the device operating in this case as a circulatory air system.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the separator device of this invention.

The separating device shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings consists of a casing 1 in which two preferably divergent separating chambers 2 and 3 are provided as well as associated ofitake means 4 having a valving action to prevent loss of air, an extractor 5, associated offtake means 6, dust extraction apparatus 7, including cyclones 8 and 9, as well as a dust removal screw 10. The associated air circulatory system consists of a fan 11 with the associated suction pipe 13 leading to the dust extractor 7 and a heating register 12 associated with the discharge of the fan 11, as well as pressure pipes 14 and 15 connected to the outlet of the heating register 12 leading to the two separating chambers 2 and 3. A supply hopper 16 is mounted on the pressure pipe 14 to feed tobacco particles to the'pressure pipe 14 and a ripping device R is arranged above the hopper.

The separation proceeds as follows:

The leaf material leaving the ripping device R and consisting of leaf portions and ribs is delivered through the delivery hopper 16 to the pressure pipe 14. The air-stream delivers the material first to the separating chamber 2. The separated-out tobacco particles which are no longer carried by the air-stream as a result in the reduction in the rate of air-flow, fall on to the bottom wall surfaces 17 and 18 of the separating chamber 2 so that the material sliding down over the inclined chamber surface 17 falls through an exit opening 19 and the material falling down the inclined chamber surface 18 passes through the exit opening 20, in each case into the separating chamber 3. The remaining tobacco particles are conveyed by the air stream upwardly and through the restricted passage at the upper portion of the chamber 2 and are received in the extractor 5.

The air-stream produced by the pressure pipe 15 in the separating chamber 3 carries forward the lighter particles of material while the material falling on to the base walls 21 and 22 of this separating chamber are delivered to the offtake means 4 through exit openings 23 and 24 and associated connector pipes, and said means 4 delivers the material to a collecting container, or for example to a belt conveyor 25 which supplies the material to a further treatment machine, for example to a further ripping or rib-removing machine. It will be seen that the openings 19, 20, 23 annd 24 lie at different levels and arestaggered vertically.

The upper ends of the separating chambers 2 and 3 merge together and discharge into the extractor 5, and the fan 11 draws off the feed air through a filter or screen 26, the cyclones 8 and 9 which communicate with the interior of the casing 1 and the pipe 13, and forces it through the heating register 12 into the pipes 14 and 15. Air moistening means (not shown) may also be included. A dust extracting screw 10 delivers the tobacco dust separated by the cyclones 8 and 9. The direction of the air-flow through the filter 26 and through the cyclones 8 and 9 of the dust extraction device is indicated in the case of the cyclone 9 by the dotted arrow 27.

The leaf material separated by the extractor falls into the offtake means 6 (functionally similar to means 4) and is fed therefrom for further treatment by means of a. conveyor '36. Dirt and residues are separated through openings 29 pr'ovided in a grating-like wall 28, of the extractor box 5 and are collected in a container 30.

For adjusting the flow-speeds a main adjusting flapvalve" 31 is provided in the suction pipe 13 of the fan intake and between the heating register 12 and the two feed-pipes 14 and 15 a distributor valve 32 is provided. Furthermore, a balancing pipe 33 is provided parallel to the separating chamber 2, which is in communication at its lower end by means of a flap-valve 34 with the pressure pipe 14 and its upper end is in communication with the upper portion of the separating chamber 2 by 7 means of openings 35.

' suiting and generally only minor difierence in the airflow speed in the separating chamber 2 asa result of the adjustment of the adjusting valve 32, is balanced out by the means of the compensating valve 34; According to the results to be obtained the adjustment of the airstream can be efiected also insother ways. The at- V rangement is, however, such that these possibilities of adjustment approach the result which can be obtained with individual adjustment of the separating chambers when supplied by separate fans.

In FIG. 2 a modified form of the separator device 5 is shown which in this case includes a screening drum 31' instead of a simple screen 26 as shown in FIG. 1.

It has not been deemed necessary to describe this embodiment in any further detail as it is believed that the construction required will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. Likewise it is believed that the modifications required where there is no re-circulation of air will be obvious.

What we claim is: g I

1. An apparatus for separating mixed fibrous material, comprising a casing, a plurality of inclined separator chambers arranged in vertical relationship one above the other in said casing having a common outlet at the upper end thereof and adjacent wall portions forming a common wall, an extractor chamber having a screened opening in communication with said common opening for receiving material from said separating chambers, separate air ducts connected to the lower ends of said chambers, fan means having an outlet connected to the lower ends of said separator chambers by said separate air ducts for producing air flow independently through said chambers, means for feeding fibrous material to one of said air ducts so that the material will pass into oneof said chambers, a series of openings in the common wall of said separating chambers to permit certain particles of fibrous material to pass into the other chamber, collection means associated with said other chamber and means for creating a circulatory flow through said casing to' the inlet of s'aid fan' means.

2. In an apparatus for separating mixed fibrous materials, comprising a plurality of inclined separating chambers positioned in vertical relationship one above the other and having common 'wall portions therebetween,

a housing surrounding said separating chambers, an eX-' tractor chamber in communication with the upper ends of said separating chambers, blower means connected with a suction pipe, independent ducts connecting said blower means to the lower ends of said separating chambers, means associated with one of said ducts to admit fibrous material thereto and a series of passageways through said common wall portions connecting said separating chambers to permit particles of fibrous material to pass from said chambers in succession while certain particles are discharged into said extractor chamber through the upper portion thereof, and means for returning the air fed by said blowers to said suction pipe.

3. An apparatus for separating mixed fibrous material, providing a housing, apai'r' of closely spaced upwardly inclined first and second separating chambers mounted in said housing in vertical relationship one above the other and having inclinedwall surfaces forming a cornm'on wall therebetween, blower means in said housing, a

pair of duct each of which is connected to a separate separating chamber, hopper means associated with one of said ducts to feed fibrous material to the first of said chambers, passageways in the common wall of said separating chambers to permit heavier particles to fall from the first separating chamber into' the second separating chamber, an extractor chamber mounted in said housing in communication with the upper ends of said separating chambers torece'ive lighter particles, means for collecting material from said extraction chamber and means for removing material from one of said separating chambers.

4. An apparatus for separating tobacco material, comprising a pair of closely spaced obliquely and upwardly directed first and second separating chambers positioned in vertical relationship one above the other and having inclined adjacent common walls, a housing enclosing said separating chambers, a blower, duct means connecting the lower ends of each of said chambers to said blower, means to admit tobacco leaf material to the first of said pair of separating chambers through its corresponding duct means, spaced openings in the adjacent common inclined wall of said first chamber to permit heavier tobacco particles to fall by gravity into said second separating chamber, an extractor chamber in said housing in communication with the upper ends of both of said pair of separating chambers, mean communicating the interior of said housing with the intake of said blower, means for removing heavier tobacco particles from the second of said pair of separating chambers and means for removing tobacco particles and dust from said extraction chamber.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 characterized in that the extractor chamber is provided with an inclined grating surface for separating foreign material from the desired fraction, and a separator filtering surface in said extractor chamber in communication with the interior of said housing and the intake of said blower.

6. In an apparatus according to claim 5 comprising a re-circulatory air supply meansincluding a pair of cyclone separators in said housing for returning air from said extractor chamber through said separator filtering surface and to the intake of said blower.

7. An apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a pair of passageways at different levels in the inclined wall of said first pair of separating chambers communicating with the next of said pair of separating chambers, and a pair of similarly located openings in the second of said pair of separating chambers for permitting the discharge of unwanted tobacco particles through said discharge means.

8. An apparatus for separating tobacco leaf and rib materials, comprising first and second upwardlydirected and inclined separating chambers adjacent to each other, wall means between said chambers, a housing enclosing said chambers, blower means, a pair of independent ducts connected to the lower ends of said separating chambers with their other ends connected to said blower means to produce an upward flow of air through each of said separating chambers, an extractor chamber in said housing arranged at an incline extending in a direction opposite to the inclined direction of the separating chambers, duct means at the upper ends of said chambers communicating said chambers with said extractor chamber, hopper means to feed tobacco material to one of said duct means, said wall means having openings therein to permit heavier tobacco particles to pass from said first separating chamber to the second adjacent separating chamber, means for removing material from said second separating chamber, means for removing material from said extractor chamber and means for re-circulating the air from said extractor chamber to said blower means.

9. \An apparatus according to claim 8 characterized in that the openings in said wall means between the adjacent separating chambers are arranged at difierent levels to separate materials of difierent weight.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8 characterized in that the separating chambers are connected to the blower means by independent air ducts having means to adjust the air flow therethrough.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8 characterized in that a compensating pipe duct is associated with one of the separating chambers and has one end connected to the air duct to which the hopper means is attached and adjacent said hopper means an da flow control device interposed therein to control the passage of air from said first separating chamber to said hopper means.

12. An apparatus according to claim 8 in which the material is delivered to one of said separating chambers by means of a rising air flow in a circulating air system which includes means for heating the air during its circulation while the air is passing from the blower means through the independent ducts to the lower portions of said separating chambers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,643,768 Eissmann June 30, 1953 2,667,174 Eissmann Jan. 26, 1954 2,701,570 Eissmann Feb. 8, 1955 2,705,075 Harvengt Mar. 29, 1&55 2,755,930 Eissmann July 24, 1956 2,815,860 Krantz Dec. 10, 1-957 

